Chestnut Ridge makes history, takes fourth

February 10, 2013

HERSHEY - Chestnut Ridge went 2-1 on Saturday to finish in fourth place in its first appearance in the PIAA Duals.

The Lions began early Saturday morning with a 28-27 squeaker over Central Columbia and got by semifinalist Bermudian Springs, 29-25, in the consolation semifinals to earn a medal. Ridge then lost to Fort LeBoeuf, 38-19, in the third-place match.

The fourth place for the Lions, who went 4-2 over two days and are now 24-3, was the best finish for an area or District 5 team since Bedford placed fourth in the 2009 Duals.

"I'm excited," Ridge coach Greg Lazor said. "You get down there, and there are some great teams, so placing is something to be very proud of. I'm very proud of their efforts. We've never had a sports team at Chestnut Ridge place in the states."

Against Central Columbia, Ridge got pins from Derrick Claar at 120 and Bradie Bollman at 160, a major decision from Trent Crouse at 126 and decisions by Aaron Burkett at 106, Jerimiah Zimmerman at 138, Tyler Dibert at 170 and Dan Albright at 195.

"Central Columbia is tough from top to bottom," Lazor said. "Claar and Crouse got some big, nice wins. We wrestled really tough. Burkett wrestled hard. Everybody did what they needed to do."

The win over Bermudian Springs was Ridge's second of the season, but it was tougher this time with the Bermudian at full strength. The match came down to 285, where Austin Buttry, with Ridge leading by a point, beat Noah Hakes, 2-0.

"We knew it was going to be tough," Lazor said. "They didn't have [Austin] Jackson or their 106-pounder the first time. We've got some different people in the lineup too. We won some important matches and came out on top. That was the important one. There was a lot riding on that match."

Ridge jumped out to a 15-6 lead on Fort LeBoeuf thanks to a pin from Crouse (126) and Zimmerman (138) and a decision by Hillegass (132), but the Lions' only win in the last nine weights was Dibert's major decision at 182.

"Fort LeBoeuf is extremely tough," Lazor said. "We didn't wrestle as good as we did earlier. Maybe there was a little relief from placing. We had some chances to get some points, but Fort LeBoeuf is the better team."

The Lions have one more dual meet - Somerset at home Thursday - before getting ready for the District 5 Tournament.

"We'll be in the practice room Monday," Lazor said. "We'll be fine-tuning some things. We learned a lot about some guys. Some boys stepped up. Sam Shank battled throughout. You get in this tournament and all the teams are good. You see which guys are ready to go get it."